


I'm Fine, I'm Okay

by Anthrobrat



Series: Whatever This Is (McShifty) [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Anxiety and Reassurance, Basement kisses, Canonical Character Death, Episode: s01e08 The Last Patrol, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26862379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthrobrat/pseuds/Anthrobrat
Summary: After the patrol, Shifty just wants to make sure McClung is okay. An intimate moment ensues in a bombed out basement in Haguenau.
Relationships: Earl McClung/Shifty Powers
Series: Whatever This Is (McShifty) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1990171
Comments: 12
Kudos: 14
Collections: Band of Boyfriends Kisstober Challenge 2020





	I'm Fine, I'm Okay

**Author's Note:**

> The rarest of pairs for Kisstober Prompts! I hope there will be more soon! 
> 
> This is Day 6: Lingering Kisses. I legit don't know what that means, but I hope I did it justice!
> 
> (These characters are representations of the fictional HBO characters; I have the utmost respect for the real gentlemen of Easy Co and the 101st.)

McClung found him crouched in the basement of a bombed out house across the street from where they were billeted, if one could call it that in a house that was un-lived-in and unlivable. He walked over to Shifty, kneeling down in front of him to take in the damage. The loss of Jackson when the Germans were so close to finished hurt in new and different ways. 

When he nudged Shift’s face up with the back of his hand, it was wet with tears. Earl used his teeth to remove his gloves and wiped the wetness off Shifty’s cheeks. 

“You okay? Did you get--”

“When I heard them come back out and someone was hurt, I thought for sure it was you.” Shifty interrupted his inane questions as he tangled a hand into his collar. “I felt like the wind was knocked straight outta my lungs.”

“Nah, Shift, I’m okay. I swear I’m okay.” He wrapped his other hand around the man’s neck and pulled him in toward his shoulder. Shifty shifted his weight onto his knees and stayed there for a minute or two until his breathing was under control again. Earl hoped no one would come in and see them kneeling on the floor in an embrace, but he certainly wasn’t planning to pull away first.

“Can I just check, Earl? I need to know,” was Shifty’s eventual response from his position burrowed into the juncture between McClung’s neck and shoulder. He picked his head back up to peer closely into his face. “I’ll be quick, no one will see.”

Earl contemplated for a second, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Shifty’s. “Yea, sure. You can check.”

He tried not to laugh when Shifty immediately reached out and ran hands down his torso. It tickled in the strangest of ways, but he held still. When Shifty had finished with his torso, he moved out to his arms, squeezing and manipulating his joints, checking for any pains or injuries even though Earl knew for a fact that he was fine. For everyone but Jackson it had been a quick snatch and grab. But it felt intimate and loving to allow this man to check on him so thoroughly. 

Finally, Shifty finished his thorough inspection, and moved his hands up to Earl’s neck, caressing his jaw with his thumbs. McClung could feel Shifty’s breath on his face, and closed his eyes to better appreciate the feeling of being close. He ran his nose up Shifty’s cheek and laid a soft kiss there. 

“Am I really okay?” he whispered into Shifty’s ear. He got a slow nod in response before Shifty turned to him and caught his cheek with a soft, quick kiss. 

Earl couldn’t take it anymore, and thread his hand into Shifty’s hair to move their faces to a more accessible angle before leaning in and finally pressing his lips to Shifty’s. His lips were cold, but not nearly as chapped as they had been in Bastogne. 

“You got anywhere to be right now?” Earl asked. 

“Nah, I’m supposed to be in bed, but I couldn’t let ‘em see me like that, shaking and carrying on so much. I’m not scheduled for the OP until the morning. You?” 

“Same,” Earl whispered before slowly kissing across Shifty’s face to his mouth, kissing his bottom lip and then his top lip, sliding his thumbs across Shifty’s jaw and his fingers up into his hair. “I’d like to take my time then, if you’ll have me.

“Okay,” Shifty whispered back, before he slid his arms around Earl’s middle, fisting his hands in the back of his jacket and pulling him closer. The ground was cold and hard against their knees, but the angle was good and McClung didn’t want to move for fear of breaking the spell they were under. So he just allowed himself to be pulled in closer while he continued his exploration of Shifty’s mouth.

It felt nice to kiss while it was warm, and to have time to just be with each other without worry someone might come by. Earl had planned to take Shifty somewhere once they were back on base and had a free weekend pass, but Jackson’s demise made it that much clearer that the only time together that was guaranteed was this moment, right here. So he would take it. 

Finally, Shifty tilted his head, opened his mouth, and touched McClung’s lips with his tongue. The move was stilted and unsure, until Earl responded by parting his lips. Neither hesitated then, eager to feel the slip slide of the other’s tongue. Shifty tried to pull him even closer, like he was attempting to merge their bodies into one singular entity. 

Being this close, with Shifty’s nose bumping into his as they switched angles, and his arms wrapped so tightly around his waist, Earl finally felt like the war wasn’t going to get the best of him. Like maybe they would be lucky. They’d made it this far, they could hold out a little longer. So he dove back in once more, sliding his tongue ever so lightly, so slowly into Shifty’s waiting mouth. 

Shifty sighed before seating their mouths together once more, pulling Earl in tighter still, like he never wanted to let go. It was a sentiment he shared, so he moved his hands from Shifty’s face to wrap his arms around his shoulders and hold on tighter. Just when Earl wondered about taking the kiss further, he heard footsteps on the floorboards above their heads. 

When they finally parted, Earl ran his nose one more time up Shifty’s cheek to kiss his ear, as Shifty spoke. 

“I hate that they make you take lead scout all the time. It’s just ain’t fair is all.”

“You know why they do it. Same reason they’re always asking you about noises. Same reason we get picked for night detail. They think we’re special is all.”

“Maybe we are, Earl.”

“Well, I have my opinions on how wonderful you are, but I’ll keep those to myself,” Earl said as he got up and then extended a hand toward the man who had become more than a friend and much more than just special. He knew that when he woke up tomorrow he would smile at the lingering feeling of Shifty’s mouth and hands on him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Maria, Lara, and Mucca for convincing me that this was a worthy pair, and the others on the server who have listened to me prattle on about my McShifty love for the last month. 
> 
> If you'd like to you can [come say hi on discord](https://discord.gg/Vze28xa/html/)
> 
> As always, comments are love and occasionally turn into amazing friendships.


End file.
